Aztec sacrifice scene in temple. Priests cuts out a victim's heart to give to an idol at the top of a pyramid while other priests attend. A body is tossed down the stairs. Before the sacrificial place dancers celebrate. A wall covered with serpents or snakes surrounds the pyramid. Native Americans with feathered headdresses and garments stand outside the temple compound. Includes bows, statues, and domed structures on top of pyramid. In the foreground is a structure with a staircase, perhaps a skull rack.

description

Aztec sacrifice scene in temple. Priests cuts out a victim's heart to give to an idol at the top of a pyramid while other priests attend. A body is tossed down the stairs. Before the sacrificial place dancers celebrate. A wall covered with serpents or snakes surrounds the pyramid. Native Americans with feathered headdresses and garments stand outside the temple compound. Includes bows, statues, and domed structures on top of pyramid. In the foreground is a structure with a staircase, perhaps a skull rack.

The major temple at Tenochtitlán or Mexico City was surmounted by two sanctuaries--the one on the left dedicated to Tlaloc (the god of rain), the one on the right to Huitzilopochtli (the god of the sun and war). A coatepantli or wall with serpents carved on it often surrounded Aztec temples. The tzompantli held the skulls of sacrificial victims. Thomas Gage, an English Dominican friar, returned to England after several decades in Spanish America, became a Protestant and a principal advisor to Oliver Cromwell.

notes

The major temple at Tenochtitlán or Mexico City was surmounted by two sanctuaries--the one on the left dedicated to Tlaloc (the god of rain), the one on the right to Huitzilopochtli (the god of the sun and war). A coatepantli or wall with serpents carved on it often surrounded Aztec temples. The tzompantli held the skulls of sacrificial victims. Thomas Gage, an English Dominican friar, returned to England after several decades in Spanish America, became a Protestant and a principal advisor to Oliver Cromwell.